This rich, intensely chocolaty Fudgy Keto Brownies Recipe is the perfect way to satisfy a chocolate-lovers’ sweet tooth. Each brownie has just 3g net carbs!
Brownie lovers living a low carb lifestyle, I have a real treat for you today! It was a long time in the making.
I'm happy to report that the end result was worth the wait, as well as all the experimenting. These brownies have a deep chocolate flavor with just the right level of sweetness, and a perfect fudgy texture.
Walnuts add nutty crunch; you can skip them or use your favorite nuts. The chocolate frosting is optional, but definitely takes this Fudgy Keto Brownies Recipe over the top!
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The Best Fudgy Keto Brownies Recipe
On my quest to find the best fudgy keto brownie recipe I did a lot of experimenting. I’ve used countless secret ingredients (like gelatin, flaxseed meal, and psyllium husk powder), endless variations of flours, and a combination of different keto-friendly sweeteners.
Getting the right level of sweetness can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you’re using erythritol, which causes the cooling effect. Because of this, in this fudgy keto brownie recipe I used a combination of powdered erythritol (which generally has less of a cooling effect than granulated) and stevia glycerite. I also add a touch of blackstrap molasses to cut the sweetness and add complexity of flavor.
The sweetness level is only half the equation of the perfect brownie though; texture is just as important. Almond flour is the base flour of this fudgy keto brownie recipe, and unsweetened cocoa powder also acts as a dry ingredient. But the real trick is chia seeds!
The chia seed trick is something I can’t take credit for. A while back I saw a recipe for keto brownies on Low Carb Maven. The recipe was actually adapted from a cookbook by Martina Slajerova from the KetoDiet Blog. Low Carb Maven noted in her post that the brownies aren’t actually fudgy as the name states, so I reworked the recipe a bit and came up with the best fudgy keto brownie recipe I’ve ever had (check out my recipe here), and then I tweaked it a bit here, adding nuts and frosting.
These brownies are intensely chocolaty and richly fudgy. They’re fantastic as-is and the chocolate frosting on top is just a bonus; feel free to leave it off if you prefer!
Keto Brownie Ingredients
Before I started cooking low carb and keto, my favorite recipe for homemade brownies was Alice Medrich’s famous Cocoa Brownies. They’re rich and fudgy with great texture and gorgeously crinkly tops. Her method involves mixing melted butter with sugar, eggs, flour, and cocoa powder, and it’s proof positive that sometimes the end result is much greater than the sum of its parts.
In this fudgy keto brownie recipe, I use a similar method. Lots of cocoa powder for deep chocolate flavor, but additionally I add 90% dark chocolate. And then to keep these brownies keto, I add healthy fats in the form of grass-fed butter, organic heavy whipping cream, almond flour, and chia seeds.
Here's what goes into this Keto Brownie Recipe:
- Chia seeds
- Swerve Confectioners
- Almond flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Espresso powder
- Unsalted butter
- 90% cocoa chocolate
- Eggs
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- Blackstrap molasses
- Stevia glycerite
- Walnuts
How to Make Keto Brownies From Scratch
When you realize just how easy it is to make incredible keto brownies from scratch, you’ll never buy a boxed brownie mix again!
The method to make these homemade brownies couldn’t be easier:
- Mix up the dry ingredients.
- Melt the butter and chocolate and combine them with the other wet ingredients.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Bake!
How to Store Keto Brownies
Because of the frosting, store these brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Let them come to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
If you leave off the frosting, store these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days before moving them to the fridge for up to 4 days more.
Tips for Making Fudgy Keto Brownies
- Make sure to process the chia seeds in a blender or food processor until they form a powder. They act as one of the dry ingredients in this recipe.
- Don't skip the espresso powder unless you really have to! It helps pull out the complex flavor notes in chocolate, and just generally improves the flavor. And don't worry if you don't like the flavor of coffee; this amount of espresso powder isn't enough to actually taste coffee in this recipe.
- For the most nutrient-dense brownies, be selective about the dairy products you use. I like to use grass-fed butter and cream whenever possible.
Keto Brownies FAQs
What Makes Brownies Fudgy?
Most people have a very specific type when it comes to brownie preferences, whether it’s cakey, chewy, or fudgy. The difference isn’t in the ingredients because most brownies contain some form of chocolate, sugar, eggs, and flour.
Rather, the difference lies in the ratio of ingredients.
For example, adding more eggs yields a lighter, less dense brownie.
Incorporating more flour results in more cake-like brownies.
Recipes that call for more fat, whether it’s in the form of butter, oil, or chocolate, generally mean brownies will be chewier or fudgier.
Additionally, I noticed that when you use a higher ratio of fat to flour and then use less flour and slightly more cocoa powder, the result is a fudgier brownie.
Do Brownies Need Baking Powder?
Many brownie recipes don’t need a leavening agent, such as baking powder or baking soda. It depends on what type of brownie you’re going for (e.g., fudgy, chewy, or cakey). Additionally, it depends on the other ingredients in the recipe.
Skipping the leavener is actually a trick that helps yield fudgier brownies. However, this doesn't mean you can just omit baking powder or baking soda from a recipe that calls for it. If a particular recipe calls for baking powder or baking soda, be sure to follow that particular recipe because it was tested for best results.
In this Fudgy Keto Brownie Recipe, I used baking soda as a leavening agent. This helps yield the correct texture for these brownies because low carb baking is a bit different than classic baking due to the lack of sugar and gluten.
More Keto Chocolate Recipes
- Low Carb Samoa Cookie Truffles (aka Chocolate-Covered Caramel Coconut Candy) from Healthy Sweet Eats
- Keto Chocolates with Macadamia and Sea Salt from Ketogasm
- Fudgsicles (aka Chocolate Popsicles or Fudge Pops) from Healthy Sweet Eats
- Keto Chocolate Brownie in a Mug from The Keto Queens
- Chocolate Keto Mug Cake from An Edible Mosaic
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic and #healthysweeteats on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
The Best Fudgy Keto Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
Fudgy Brownies:
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ½ cup Swerve Confectioners See Note
- ½ tablespoon keto brown sugar
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon espresso powder
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3.5 ounces 90% cocoa dark chocolate chopped
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon stevia glycerite
- ½ cup walnuts coarsely chopped
Chocolate Frosting:
- 40 g 90% cocoa dark chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Swerve Confectioners See Note
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 7 drops stevia glycerite
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
For the Fudgy Brownies:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with 2 pieces of parchment paper so it hangs over all 4 sides and you can easily lift out the brownies later.
- Add the chia seeds to a blender or food processor and process until powdered. Transfer to a large bowl along with the Swerve Confectioners, keto brown sugar, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder; whisk to combine and set aside for now.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler or microwave. Cool slightly, and then whisk in the eggs, cream, vanilla, and stevia glycerite.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine; fold in the walnuts.
- Spread the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared dish. Bake until the brownies are set along the outside, but still gooey in the center, about 17 to 20 minutes.
- Cool completely before cutting and serving.
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- Melt the chocolate, cream, and butter together in a bowl in the microwave or double boiler.
- Cool slightly, and whisk in the Swerve Confectioners, vanilla, stevia glycerite, and salt until smooth.
- Let it cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally (it will thicken as it cools), and then refrigerate slightly until it’s spreadable like frosting.
To Assemble and Serve:
- When the brownies are cool, spread the frosting on top.
- Let the frosting stiffen slightly (you can put it in the fridge if you want it to stiffen faster), and then cut and serve.
Video
Helpful Tips
- Net Carbs: 3g per serving (1 brownie, which is 1/16 of recipe)
- Because of the frosting, store these brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Let them come to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
- If you leave off the frosting, store these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days before moving them to the fridge for up to 4 days more.
- For the brownies, instead of using ½ cup Swerve Confectioners, you can use ¾ cup powdered monk fruit/allulose sweetener.
- For the chocolate frosting, instead of using 1 tablespoon Swerve Confectioners, you can use 1 ½ tablespoons powdered monk fruit/allulose sweetener.
- You can use any type of nuts you like here. Walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts are some of my favorites. Or feel free to leave them out if you prefer.
Nutrition
This post was first published on Healthy Sweet Eats on September 20, 2018. It was updated with more information on July 8, 2021.
Val Gervais
This looks scrumptious ! Can I leave out the chia seeds? I can not eat them. Do they function as a binder? Or are they included for a particular reason beyond flavor as in adding nuts to brownies but can be left out for those folks with nut allergies for instance? thank you
faith
Val, The chia seeds act as a binder in this recipe and also help yield a chewy texture. I haven't tried this recipe with something else, but golden flaxseed meal could work. The only thing is it will change the flavor slightly. If you try it with the change, please let me know how it goes!